Former U.S. first daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner are developing a €2 billion luxury complex on Albania’s Zvërnec peninsula, threatening a protected nature reserve home to migrating flamingos. The project, backed by Qatar-based Assets Group and local Kastrati Group, represents a significant foreign direct investment targeting Albania’s tourism ambitions.

The 97-page master plan envisions five-star hotels, hundreds of residential units, a golf course, water park, and marina across 700,000 square meters of built area. Prime Minister Edi Rama approved a 2024 amendment allowing such construction in nature reserves, triggering environmental backlash and nightly protests in Tirana dubbed the “Flamingo Revolution.”

Protesters demand the project’s cancellation and Rama’s resignation, arguing no environmental safeguards can mitigate destroying a critical Adriatic ecosystem. The European Parliament recently urged a moratorium on similar projects, intensifying political pressure on Albania’s EU accession bid.

Construction halted last week as fence removal and truck absence suggest temporary suspension. The Sazan island project faces similar scrutiny, though military restrictions and hazardous conditions may prevent realization.